Abhijeet Dipke raises SIR-related concerns at Delhi press conference; organisation demands probe, rollback of electoral-roll revision and greater transparency from Election Commission
GTNS , SEPTEMBER 24, 2026NEW DELHI: The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation over concerns raised by the organisation regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
CJP founder and national convenor Abhijeet Dipke, speaking at a press conference in New Delhi on Thursday, said the organisation would launch a nationwide agitation if Kumar did not step down within the stipulated period. The proposed campaign is also expected to include a fresh protest in Delhi on the lines of the organisation’s earlier Jantar Mantar demonstration.
CJP’s objections centre on SIR
The organisation has linked its demand to the continuing controversy surrounding the SIR exercise and the functioning of the Election Commission.
CJP has alleged that large numbers of names have been excluded from electoral rolls during the revision process and has questioned the procedures through which additions, deletions and corrections are being processed.
The organisation has also raised questions over changes involving Form 6, which is used for inclusion of names in electoral rolls, as well as the management and centralisation of electoral-roll data. These issues have also figured in recent reporting about objections recorded by two Election Commissioners.
14 objections reported within Election Commission
The CJP’s announcement came a day after an Indian Express investigation reported that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over a period of 10 months concerning matters including voter additions and deletions, Form 6 and electoral-roll data management.
The report has triggered a wider political and institutional debate over how decisions related to the electoral-roll revision were handled.
ECI gives a different account
The Election Commission has rejected the suggestion that the reported objections represented a breakdown or split within the three-member poll panel.
According to the Commission’s response, written observations, technical suggestions and differences of view are part of the normal decision-making process. The ECI has maintained that all final decisions, including those relating to SIR, were taken unanimously with the approval of the three commissioners.
The Commission has therefore disputed the interpretation that the reported objections amounted to unilateral decision-making by the CEC.
Three broad demands from CJP
Apart from seeking Kumar’s resignation, CJP has called for an independent examination of decisions taken during the SIR process.
The organisation has also demanded that further exclusions from electoral rolls be halted pending verification and that the earlier electoral-roll position be restored for review. It has additionally sought greater transparency over SIR-related records and called for changes to the legal framework governing the appointment of Election Commissioners.
Nationwide campaign announced
CJP has announced a nationwide “Election Commission Thik Karo” campaign as part of its proposed mobilisation.
Dipke and other CJP leaders said that failure to meet their 48-hour demand would lead to demonstrations across the country, with an indefinite protest in Delhi also being threatened.
The dispute now places the SIR exercise, electoral-roll management and the functioning of the Election Commission at the centre of another public and political debate.
The CJP’s allegations remain its own claims, while the Election Commission has maintained that its decisions were taken through the prescribed institutional process and unanimously.